Content is King, President and Pope
August 6, 2008
I just finished re-reading an excellent book The New Rules of Marketing & PR.
Some stuffy PR guys would probably like to challenge the contents of this book as it does not promote the old truths of PR and marketing. David Meerman Scott has focused on explaining the world of opportunities that have opened up for aspiring journalists, marketers and small business owners via web-based tools and services. Free or low cost applications such as blogs, podcasts and social networking tools such as MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn are changing the old rules. Niche buyers can be reached with targeted messages that cost a fraction of big-budget advertising campaign. In addition, these marketing efforts often allow instant feedback and measurable results, so the “train can be stopped much sooner when it’s headed to the wrong direction”.
One-way interruption does not work as well as it used to. Instead, marketers have to create a dialogue with potential buyers and deliver useful content at the moment their prospects, buyers or constituents need it.
Readers learn that online marketing is not about pretty websites either. Per Meerman Scott, content is not only KING, but President and Pope as well. The key to interesting and entertaining content is the collaboration between the different departments of the organization. Websites cannot be stale either – content needs to be fresh and the reactions of the visitors should be measured and analyzed, so the content can be improved. I agree with all these points as I prefer information rich blogs and websites to flashy and design driven sites.
Here are some steps David Meerman Scott suggests for creating thoughtful content. These steps apply to websites and all social media tools in my opinion.
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Do not focus on writing primarily about your company and products. Content should be designed to solve buyer problems or answer questions.
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Define your organizational goals before you design your website.
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Based on your goals, decide whether you want to provide the content for free without any registration, or you want to include some kind of registration mechanism (much lower response rates).
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Think like a publisher. Consider buyer personas.
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Write for your audience. Use examples and stories, make it interesting.
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Choose a great title that grabs attention.
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Promote the effort like crazy. Offer the content with easy-to-find links.
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Alert appropriate bloggers, reporters and analysts that the content is available and send them a download link.
What is the main reason I like The New Rules of PR and Marketing?
It gives easy to read instructions on how to become a thought leader while remaining authentic and transparent. No need to pay a top dollar to reach your audience if you have expertise, find your voice, target a specific group of people and keep improving your skills.
Educate, entertain and motivate!
Google Docs - Create documents, spreadsheets and presentations online
July 23, 2008
I am very impressed with the increased capabilities of GoogleDocs application. Not only can you upload, store and edit your existing files, you can also use well designed templates, collaborate as well as edit and present with others in real time.
Templates include business plan, resume, letterhead, business cards, presentations and more.
Are you stuck in an airport for hours and would like to use your time wisely by working on your schedules, albums, or wedding plans? Google Docs enables you to do that as well if you have a gmail or Google account, accessible via web from any place with an Internet connection.
GoogleDocs Help Center provides answers to your burning questions. You will find how-to videos and easy to read instructions.
Going Virtual - Going Green
July 22, 2008
Several factors are affecting company travel plans this year.
Energy costs. Because of high fuel prices, airline tickets cost more. Also add the cost of lost time, the hassles of going through airport security lines and late arrivals.
All of these situations are making air travel a less attractive choice. The days of flying cross country for a one-hour meeting are disappearing. Increasingly, virtual meetings are replacing travel. Researchers for Hewlett Packard and Cisco Systems, who studied body reactions, say that co-workers in different states and countries experience the same chemical responses to virtual meetings as to face-to-face meetings.
Travel by car for distances of 200 miles is less of a hassle than flying. But it takes more time than conference calls. And it costs more, 58.5 cents a mile.
It’s not just time and money. The frequent-flyer lifestyle can wreak havoc on a person’s health and family life. People who are involved in virtual meetings seem to be pleased with the reduction of air travel.
Here are some web-based options for webinars and online meetings:
Consulting firm BDO Seidman, quoted in Business Week, says it’s not just about travel reduction, it’s also about increasing communication. They say meeting more frequently and in short bursts of time is more productive than flying off to long meetings.
Most companies are considering the green factor in all of their decisions. Flying and driving less will reduce a company’s carbon footprint.
The Best Free Software in 2008 - PC Magazine Review
July 16, 2008
My “love affair” with computers, gadgets and all kinds of computer software started about 12 years ago. Marketers would say that I am an “early adopter.” My address is definitely passed on from one marketer to another and someone keeps eye on my purchases as I get offers in the mail all the time. I recently realized that there is no need to purchase the latest software if you can get it for free.
People at PC Magazine did the math: If you bought popular applications instead of checking out their free counter-parts, at the manufacturers’ list prices you’d give up $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for free? But beware, sometimes you do get what you don’t pay for.
Find out what is on the list of the Best Free Software. Read more
Eight Rules To Remember When Calling Tech Support
May 19, 2008
No matter how well you know your computer, sooner or later, every small business owner is going to call tech support. Remember, what you say, and how you say it, are important factors in getting your problem solved. Here are some tips for efficient interactions with tech staff.
1. Do the obvious: Restart your computer. After restart, make sure you have no other programs opened, other than the one causing problems.
2. Check for system and program upgrades and install them.
3. Write down what operating system you are using and the name of version of the software you are using.
4. Clarify in your mind exactly what the problem is. Lots of things may concern you, but try to state the symptoms first. Remember that a simple statement is not the same as an empty statement. Do not contact tech support and say: It doesn’t work. This does not count as stating the problem. Do not attempt to make the tech support person ask 20 questions from you before he can even get to the point of the call. Less-than-patient tech support people may and will waste your time, too, and then nothing will be solved.
5. Remember that 99 percent of the time the problem is not with the computer or the program. The problem is most likely with the user. So, adopt a humble, business-like attitude, and treat your tech support person with respect.
6. Be open minded and patient. The support person likely will have several theories about solutions. Even if you have used the program or computer for years and never had this problem, try to be open to possible solutions the tech support person offers. You may have never had a problem with your CD drive, but it is possible that today is the day you are having one.
7. Offer context when relevant. If you just added new hardware to your computer, and your problem is with the computer, tell this to the tech support person. If you opened an email attachment, and now you are having problems, tell this to tech support.
8. Accusing tech support of incompetence doesn’t solve the problem.
Indexed Outlook - Marketer’s Dream
May 9, 2008
Millions of people including myself use Outlook as their main email program. Many of these users are frustrated when they can’t find email addresses and phone numbers they are looking for. Outlook can also slow down significantly. A company, called Xobni was created to fix these problems.
“Using Outlook today is like taking a Volkswagen Beetle into space,” founder Mr. Adam Smith said. “People are kind of exerting all these stresses upon it that it wasn’t originally designed to withstand.”
Xobni is introducing a new downloadable tool that plugs into Outlook. This tool indexes all the e-mail in Outlook and makes messages quickly and easily searchable. It is available at www.xobni.com.
Are You Using Dimdim?
May 7, 2008
I am always looking for new and cool web-based tools that I could introduce to my customers and utilize myself. That’s how I found Dimdim when it was still in alpha testing.
With Dimdim you can share your desktop, show slides, collaborate, chat, talk and broadcast via webcam with no download required for attendees. Dimdim’s mission is to enable web collaboration for everyone.
After 3 rounds of beta testing, Dimdim is less buggy and open for business. Anyone can sign up and hold their own web meetings using Dimdim. Customers who prefer to customize or brand their own web meetings, can purchase Dimdim Pro for only $99 per year. Institutions in need of larger meetings can purchase Dimdim Enterprise for less than half the cost of existing solutions.
Unlike other web conference products, Dimdim does not require users to install software on their computers to attend web meetings. Users can initiate or join meetings with couple of clicks. Basic version of Dimdim is available for free. Dimdim is an open source software, therefore users can extend and improve it freely. It already integrates with CRM and LMS software and can be extended. Dimdim is available in hosted as well as onsite configurations and easily customizable. It is easy to set up….took me 10 minutes or less.
Cons: You may hear some echo during the meeting. Does not let users record their web meetings.
Mr. Microsoft’s Chase After Ms. Yahoo
May 6, 2008
I have been following Mr. Microsoft’s chase after Ms. Yahoo and have to announce today - this “soap opera” did not have a happy ending, or maybe it was Mission Impossible after all….
Mr. Microsoft did not win Ms.Yahoo’s heart. He tried, adding more bells and whistles to his marriage proposal, but Ms. Yahoo said NO and is still waiting for a Prince On A White Horse to come and rescue her from the Land of Uncertainty. Ms. Yahoo has been winking at Mr. Google who is way more skilled than her at search and online advertising…but their relationship is still in the early stages, and the two of them have not found solid common ground yet…..
Something tells me that this story will have a sequel as Mr. Microsoft is restless, desperately trying to find a partner who would balance his shortcomings in web advertising and search. He was hoping to create a harmonious island (cloud) with Ms. Yahoo, but did not find the right key to her heart.
Redesigned iPhone?
April 19, 2008
Apple, Inc., is tuning in to business. For many years, Apple products have been designed for consumers. Now Apple CEO Steve Jobs wants a business product.
What Jobs wants, he usually gets. His current goal is to move his Web-browsing iPhone into the corporate market. He plans to develop more software for the phone, improve security and make it work with popular email programs.
Apple’s goal is to create an iPhone that does more than the BlackBerry, which is mostly used for email.
This will probably mean a redesign of the iPhone keyboard. Right now, it requires people to type messages on a touch screen, usually with one finger. The BlackBerry, with its two-thumb capability, is faster according to Business Week.
Some analysts say employees are already waiting for a fashionable alternative to the BlackBerry and other such devices. With their companies paying part of the projected $400 price tag, they could afford to buy one.
A situation Apple will have to address: Many companies have already invested in RIM technology and RIM servers that ensure email remains up-to-date and secure. RIM is the market leader with 12 million users.
To compete with them, Apple will have to develop infrastructure technology that is far more complex than what it has now. Software developers say they are ready to help.
Because the iPhone is a tiny Mac computer with more memory and processing power than most competing devices, it can run a huge variety of software.
Ms. Yahoo Becoming Friends With Mr. Google
March 28, 2008
I did not think I will be blogging about Mr. Microsoft again today, but the relationships I am following are getting more and more complex. While Mr. Microsoft is learning to be social, Ms. Yahoo is getting close and personal with Mr. Google. Ms. Yahoo and Mr. Google were rivals, but they seem to be becoming the new best friends. Mr. Google wants to maintain its leadership role in the online advertising arena as well as control search space, and Ms.Yahoo does not want to get married to Mr. Microsoft. She has perhaps checked Mr. Microsoft’s Facebook page and does not like what she sees. She definitely dislikes the proposed prenuptial agreement.